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Mills River SDA Church

Cory Reeves

One Thoughtful Hour

I'm actually going to take a moment and start out with prayer.

If you guys don't mind, bow your heads 1 more time with me.

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I feel unworthy to share a message as great as Jesus.

So over my last few sermons, We've looked at 1 John, and I'm going to put a pause on that for this communion week.

Today I want to look at the last few hours of Jesus' life.

This is an important part of communion and combined with this quote that I read last time, let me read it again, it's from Desire of Ages, page 83.

They're right there I think next to you Blake.

But from the desire of ages page 83, it would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in the contemplation of the life of Christ.

We should take it point by point and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.

As we thus dwell upon his great sacrifice for us, our confidence within him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His Spirit.

If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penance and humiliation at the foot of the cross." Friends, I believe it's in this reflection, this time of using our imagination to look at each scene, that we will see the cost of our sin.

We get to see the love of God and know Him more.

And that's what communion is, it's a reflection on that gift.

We are to do this in remembrance of Jesus.

Today I'm going to go through a lot of, I'm actually, you can see it at the top of your study guides, we're going to look at Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

I might not quote them all, but I this week literally took all 3 accounts of those last few hours and put them in order and then jammed in the Desire of Ages.

And so I'm not going to quote or read you that whole paper I put together, but what I am going to do is try to tell it in a story, but there are a couple Desire of Ages quotes I want to read and a couple Scripture quotes I want to read as we go through that.

And I would ask as we talk through that, that you let your imagination grasp those scenes, that you think of that great love that Jesus, that God has for each of you.

Now I would encourage you to go back and read.

It's chapter 78 and 79 and the 4 gospel accounts, but if you're too busy and you drive a lot, you can scan this.

I'll put this up again at the very, very end of service.

There's an organization called AudioVerse, and what they've done is they've created 8 days where they read you those desire of ages key places.

And they help you spend time each day reflecting.

They'll send you an email once a day for 8 days.

And you can listen to those closing scenes.

So Jesus, The Son of God took on humanity.

It wasn't to rule here on earth like many thought, but it was to pave a path for you, for me.

It is to put us back into atonement with Him and His Father.

Now how did we treat this man who should have been our king?

Now as we dwell on this amazing gift, it is important to understand all He went through.

You see, it was after the Passover supper, Jesus had neither food nor drink.

He was mentally worn down from His conflict with Satan in the garden.

He had taken the cup of our sins, and that was bearing down on Him already.

He had been betrayed by Judas, but not just Judas, none of His friends, None of his disciples stood by him.

Jesus was passed from leader to leader, a farce of a trial at night where he was sentenced to death.

Jesus had been insulted, he had been Mocked, he had been tortured by whip.

And yet, he never spoke a word that didn't glorify God.

Jesus was entering the worst, most brutal death man could imagine, and He was tired, He was hungry, mentally exhausted, physically beaten near death, and He was covered with your sin.

A sin that had separated him from his father.

After all of that, they jested as they clothed him in royal clothing of purple.

They jammed a crown of thorns upon his head.

Jesus, the King of the universe, God became man, deserving of every earthly blessing, every earthly honor we could give, is here on earth to save you.

And in return, Jesus is standing there, back bleeding, wounds, puncture wounds in His head.

And as He stands there, they mockingly salute Him, Hail the King of the Jews!

They spit on him and mockingly bow before him.

He is stripped of his mock royal clothes, and the instrument of his torture, the cross, is laid upon him.

This understandably becomes more than his human nature can bear.

Jesus, our Savior, fell underneath that burden.

Even though there was a crowd gathered to watch, no 1 seemed to care.

They loaded him up again, and again he collapses under that strain.

You know, the saddest thing is there was a group of Jews around him.

But they were worried, we're told in Spirit of Prophecy, that they would defile themselves for the Passover.

How ironic it is that the 1, the lamb they were trying to honor in Passover, standing before them, they weren't willing to offer a finger to help.

The ceremony had become more important than the true.

Fortunately a man named Simeon, Simon sorry, happened to be passing by.

His sons were told were believers, but he was not at that time.

We're told he was forever after grateful for this opportunity.

Carrying this cross became a gift that he was ever cheerful to continue to bear that burden.

Now as was always the case with Jesus, God's character couldn't help but come through.

Through, though he was suffering under physical and emotional strain, he spotted the women in the crowd mourning him.

You see, even while bearing their sins, your sins, his heart burned for others around him.

He knew that they were not sad because of who he was, they were sad in pitying the pain of his human condition.

Jesus at that moment, though, saw forward to the destruction of Jerusalem, and in his heart he had deep sympathy for what these people were going to go through.

With Simon bearing the weight of the cross and Jesus bearing your sins, they finally arrived at Golgotha, the place of His execution.

Jesus' mother and at least a few of the disciples were there.

The 1 that they thought was the Savior, the 1 that would come and save them and take the throne.

Now as the other criminals were placed on their crosses, they wrestled and fought to escape.

And as that hammer fell, nailing our Savior to the cross, making scars He still has today.

The scars that bear witness to the enormity of the love Jesus has for you.

We're told Mary couldn't take it anymore.

The sight, the sound was just too much for her human heart.

As the soldiers continued to nail him to the cross, Jesus's prayer is, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." What's interesting and what's amazing is while this was a prayer for those doing the unthinkable acts in this moment, that prayer is for you.

The pain that was really hurting him was the weight of your sins.

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One Thoughtful Hour

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